After many months of constant practice, the Gulf Breeze High School Soundwave Band earned a superior, the highest score a band can be given, from all the judges at this year’s MPA (music performance assessment) for their show titled defiant heart. The show has select pieces from classic songs, Night on Bald Mountain and Swan Lake.

   The show was meant to display the hardships the band had to go through in order to revamp the band after the Covid-19 pandemic. And hardships the band has face. It was hard for the band to get started as neither the freshmen nor the sophomores had learned proper marching techniques and hadn’t performed in a previous show. On top of that, juniors and seniors hadn’t practiced or performed in over a year. For this reason, the teacher chose to do a 5-minute show instead of a longer show like past years to rebuild the strength of her band.

   And even after a whole two weeks of band camp, the band hadn’t even memorized the whole show. And in the first game they had to perform only the first half. From then on, the band worked round the clock every Tuesday and Thursday and even on the weekend sometimes to get the show as precise as possible. And within the next few games against Catholic High, Tate, and Milton the next pieces of the show slowly came together.

   All this came to a head on their first competition at Milton high school (nicknamed the Blackwater Classic) where they entered and elite group of school who achieved straight superior. Aside from a few critiques, the band performed excellent during the show.

   The following weekend was MPA, therefore the Band Teacher Mrs. Donahew worked tirelessly through the week trying to get her band into tip top shape for the performance at Milton.

   On Saturday, they showed up to Milton high school. After warming up on the practice field, the Gulf Breeze Soundwave Band took the field to present the show. They were later informed that they were one of two school at MPA who scored a superior from all the judges. The judges called the band “excellent” and a few judges even said “I am a fan of this school’s band program”.

   “The band will continue to add small parts to the show” exclaimed band teacher Mrs. Donahew.